Hyderabad: The Army has so far not announced any extension to the January 1 deadline for the second phase of civilian traffic restriction, though the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has submitted a plan and asked for two years to construct alternative routes.

Residents of the Malkajgiri Parliamentary constituency have requested the Army to extend the date. If the second phase is implemented, residents from R.K. Puram, Sainikpuri, Defence Colony and Yapral will either have to take the cramped Trimulgherry road or the roundabout Moula Ali road leading to Tarnaka.

“Residents are worried about dropping their children to schools in Secunderabad, patients to hospitals, reaching their offices and other institutions after the cut-off date, as no viable alternatives exist towards Secunderabad that can accommodate the traffic plying on these stretches. Sudden piling up of additional traffic will choke other roads.

The alternatives are internal colony roads,” said S.V. Sudershan of R.K. Nagar Welfare Association. “As per a survey conducted by the Army, as many as 1.90 lakh commuters use the AOC stretch every day. Lakhs depend on the Safilguda-Secunderabad road.

To aid in smooth traffic flow, the road had also been identified for widening. When people were expecting the roads to be widened, the news that they will be closed to civilians came as a huge disappointment.

We request the defence ministry to show humanitarian concern and keep the roads open to civilian traffic,” said Sridharan of RTC colony.

While speaking to this newspaper, Commanding Officer, Major General Cyrus Addie Pithawalla said, “The Army will only regulate complete civilian movement once the alternative routes are constructed by the state agencies.”

He, however, did not comment on the January 1 second phase restriction announced by the Army